Is The Fear of Rejection Holding You Back From Landing Your Dream Job?

In my career, I have the opportunity to engage and connect with many different professionals from various fields and industries, and one thing I tend to run into a lot, is that professional who is completely over his or her job. Over it to the point, that this is the very first thing they want to talk to me about. My first question is always. “Well why are you still there,” and I always get a different versions of the same answer. “There just aren’t job opportunities out there,” and this, my friend, couldn’t be further from the truth. The problem is not that there are not job opportunities out there, the problem is you are probably fearful of rejection, so you don’t even put yourself out there!

Meaghan Marshall said it best in her amazing article: Conquer Your Fear of Rejection for a Better Job Search.

“In primitive times humans lived in tribes depending on each other for survival. Back then rejection would have meant certain death. It is believed it is from here humans fear of rejection originated. Although we have evolved, our fear of rejection remains deep-seated. Fear of rejection is a strong human emotion and one that can hold us back.

During a job search, fear of rejection can result in limiting your efforts to protect yourself from rejection. You may not be consciously aware but you could be sabotaging your job search. Think about your job search activities honestly. Are you approaching your job search half-heartedly? Do you procrastinate? Are you applying haphazardly and perhaps carelessly to opportunities you find predominately on job boards? It is possible you are experiencing fear of rejection.

Fear is designed to keep us alert and safe. A little fear or some anxiety in our job search can be a good thing. It can motivate you to be your best and make the effort in your job search activities. Too much fear however can break your spirits. You don’t want to be so afraid of being rejected that you don’t even try.

You are going to get rejected during a job search. Rejection is an inevitable part of every job search, but you will survive! You may even learn something, be inspired, and go on to find a better opportunity. Acknowledging that you will be okay even if rejected can give you a confidence boost and make it easier to put yourself out there.

Think about what the rejection will actually mean. Simply that you are not the right person for the job. The rejection will not be of who you are. It will not mean you are a failure. You may not be the right person for any number of reasons. You are just one of hundreds of applicants that are not selected.

Redefine how you view rejection in your job search. Rejection provides you with the opportunity to grow and develop. Try to think of rejection as a learning experience that will help you improve your job search efforts. If you believe that from each experience you can learn something you will start to see that your chance of success improves with every rejection. If you change your thinking and see that rejection helps you towards your goal then even rejection can be viewed as an accomplishment.

So while our ancestors may have had something to fear from rejection. Rejection in your job search shouldn’t be feared! Don’t let fear of rejection hold you back.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Be Unconventional

Over the weekend I finally had the chance to sit down and chat with one of my closest friends about the universe, truth, fear and most importantly, what the hell we are doing with our lives. She is an amazing, hardworking, intelligent and driven individual who is trying her luck in the creative world in one of the biggest cities known for chewing people up and spitting them out like moldy bread, Los Angeles, California!

During our conversation she explained to me that she has been putting her resume out there, searching endlessly, and applying to jobs that she is probably even over qualified for, but wasn’t receiving any call backs, emails, or interviews, and she didn’t understand why. My response to her was,” Do not be afraid to be unconventional in your approach.”

We get so caught up in how we are “supposed to” apply for jobs, that we blindly submit resumes and cover letters on large job sites, not even recognizing that this approach may be the very thing that is stopping us from landing the job of our dreams.

So, here are 3 ways that you can be unconventional when applying for jobs that you love!

1. Who said snail mail was outdated? When applying to jobs, do not be afraid to actually print a hard copy of your resume and cover letter and send it through regular mail, along with a hand written note. Be sure to apply online as well, but going the extra mile to also send in a hard copy shows that you are willing to put in the work, and increases the likelihood of your resume landing on someone’s desk and actually being seen by a real human.

2. Just pick up the phone already! Talking directly on the phone with decision makers can get you far ahead of other candidates because you are creating a personal connection. Emotion is expressed and you become a person, not just another resume in a stack of hundreds. Applying to jobs is a numbers game. If you call and talk to 50 people a day, think about all the opportunities you have now just created for yourself!

3.Get out and network. Attend industry seminars and conferences. When you are trying to break into an industry or career, networking is the answer. It is actually the most common job search strategy used to find a job. The easiest way to gain access to a group of your aspiring peers is to meet them in an industry setting. By meeting them in their environment, they already see you as a peer, as opposed to an outsider trying to break in.

5 Secrets of the Guy Who Gets Multiple Job Offers

 

We’ve all got “that guy” in our lives. The guy who seems to achieve everything he sets out to,  win far more often than he loses, and land multiple job offers—approximately 14 seconds after he divulges to you that he “might be looking soon.”

You want to hate him (seriously, you do), but you truly can’t. Why not?

Because he’s likable, inspiring and, well, the truth of the matter is—you would totally hire him, too.

So what the heck is his secret? How is he managing to find this quick success, with so many interesting players? While he may not ’fess up, I’m guessing these are some of the very strategies he’s employing:

1. He Nails Down the Target Job and Audience Before Searching

Unlike many job seekers, that guy isn’t plopping in front of the computer for two seconds of aimless searching until he’s done a little bit of soul searching.

What kind of job does he want? Where does he have the most career capital? What is the personality, size, management style, and industry focus of the company that seems most appealing to him? What about the commute, the salary, the perks, the people?

Job seekers who first construct a vision of what that next job does (and, in many cases, doesn’t) look like are the ones who are best equipped to craft a game plan (and a resume) that points them square at the type of job that best aligns with their capabilities and, importantly, their desires.

2. He Figures Out the Key Players, Then Gets on Their Radar

Once that guy hones in on a target job, guess what he does next? He makes a list of the people he should probably know—influential players at companies of interest, thought leaders, local business owners who work in this space, reporters who cover his field, association leaders in his town. You get the idea.

The most successful job seekers are not (repeat: are not) spending all of their search time mucking around on Craigslist; they’re figuring out who they need to know and figuring out ways to get on their radar.

3. He’s Interested in People and Interesting to People

The guy who gets multiple job offers also realizes something very important, both in the job search and in life: People like people who are interested in them. People really (truly) appreciate it when their efforts, contributions, and thoughts are noted and appreciated. As such, when he approaches, meets, or interviews with others, he shows genuine interest and appreciation for the person on the other side of the table.

Likewise, he makes an effort to have interesting ideas and stories to share. Not contrived ones; genuine, real, and engaging ones.

4. He Shows Up More Than Prepared and With Fresh Insights

Have you ever spent 12 minutes on a company’s website (just prior to racing across town for the interview) with the hopes that you’ll arrive looking like you did your homework? That guy hasn’t.

That guy has spent hours searching for news articles, data, and interesting factoids about the organization in which he’s interested and the players with whom he’ll interview. He’s checked out the company’s social media sites (so he already knows the team has Pac-Man tournaments every Friday afternoon), talked with people who work there, and spent time thinking about how he may add immediate value, given what he’s learned.

The most successful job seekers aren’t calling the homework done four seconds after looking at a company’s home page; they’re arriving to the interview armed with both questions and fresh insights on how they might add value to that organization.

5. He Maintains Unfailing Positivity and Resilience

Now, you know that guy doesn’t have success 100% of the time, right? No one does. But a key thing that differentiates the most successful job seekers from the rest of the pack is unfailing positivity and plenty of resilience.

Sure, when he pours his heart and soul into an opportunity, goes the distance, and then gets that “Thank you, but we’re going in another direction” call, he’s bummed. But he doesn’t let it eat away at his entire sense of self-worth. Instead, he dusts himself off and realizes that the next opportunity just may be the one. And, frankly, it may be even cooler than the one that got away.

That guy doesn’t cave. He may lose his breath, but he never, ever caves.

He realizes, just like you should, that tomorrow is an entirely new day. And so after a setback, he gets up and continues to employ these very strategies.

Because he knows that they’re sound, and he knows that this could be the day that everything changes.

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